Geneva, 12 April 2024 – Ahead of World Chagas Disease Day, Unitaid renews its commitment to fighting Chagas disease, an illness which can be life-threatening and affects up to 7 million people around the world.
Primarily endemic in Latin America, Chagas disease is the leading cause of death from a parasite, ahead of malaria. It is a neglected disease that is known as the “silent disease” because of its often-asymptomatic nature, which can delay diagnosis and treatment for decades.
In recent years, the spread of the disease has placed 75 million people at risk of infection. Despite this, detection and treatment rates remain critically low; only 10% of the people living with Chagas disease are diagnosed and only 1% receive an effective treatment.
Unitaid is at the forefront of the fight against Chagas. Through the Unitaid-funded CUIDA Chagas project and our partnership with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), we seek to identify better, shorter ways to test and treat the disease, improve patient outcomes, and prevent the disease from being transmitted from mothers to their children.
In order to make Chagas a disease of the past, in line with the World Health Organization’s campaign, we urge the global health community to secure greater funding and support for early diagnosis and comprehensive follow-up care initiatives. Cross-sectoral approaches are also essential. These include universal health care, vector control and access to tests and treatment, in alignment with initiatives like the EMTCT Plus initiative towards the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of preventable diseases.
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Media contact:
For more information and media requests:
Hervé Verhoosel
Head of Communications and Spokesperson
M: +33 6 22 59 73 54
